A great historical event took place when the Eden Sport Council partnered with Eden District Municipality and the SWD Eagles Rugby Union, hosting an “ALL STARS NITE” gala evening, paying tribute to all players, athletes, team management and technical staff that represented South Africa officially as members of the Protea-, Springbok-, Leopards, SACOS- and NSC National Teams, internationally. This prestigious event for sports stars residing within the Eden region took place on Thursday, 13 August 2015 at the Outeniqua Stadium in George.
According to the Chairperson of the Eden Sport Council, Mr Desmond Speelman, the idea behind the event was to thank veterans for their contribution to sport and to reiterate that the sporting community has not forgotten them. He furthermore stated that, “The EDEN Sport Council also sees this as an excellent opportunity to enhance their vision of ‘NOT FORGOTTEN’ and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.”
More than 40 stars of the past attended and this included well-known sports greats like Barry Richards (cricket), Gert Muller (rugby), Jannie le Grange (karate), Hendrik Smit (athletics), Nic Brummer (athletics), Hein Schnell (athletics), Awie Johnson (rugby), Christo Noble (rugby), Wille Olivier (athletics), Leatitia Muller (athletics) and Johan Windt (biathlon), to name but a few.
In the keynote address, the Acting Executive Mayor of Eden District Municipality, Councillor Lionel Esau, applauded the organisers, not only for bringing different sport codes together, but also sport stars crossing the barriers of the past. He ended stating the following, “We salute you, Sports Heroes. People, who forgot history, cannot have a bright future. The sport you have played, played a major role in changing South Africa.”
Mr Desmond Speelman expressed his hope that this event will become a bi-annual highlight.
Each of the attendees received a gift as well as a certificate of appreciation for their contribution to their field of sport.
